Sharks coaching consultant Pat Lambie says flyhalf Curwin Bosch has worked through any defensive deficiencies.
Bosch’s defence has been under some scrutiny since his transition from youth rugby to the professional ranks. But Lambie, who was appointed as the Sharks’ kicking consultant following his injury-enforced retirement, told Sport24 that Bosch has worked extremely hard on his defensive frailties.
‘He’s done a lot of work on his defensive game over the last season or two,’ Lambie said.
‘He’s spent a lot of time with the defensive coaches in the setup and his defence has improved immensely. In our game, it’s quite difficult to shake a label. If you’ve been labelled the ‘X-factor’ player or the player who can’t make a tackle, it takes a while for that label to be removed.
‘In the early part of his career, when he was a young teenager playing against fully grown men, it’s understandable that he was going to slip off a couple of tackles, as did I.
‘There’re different tackle techniques and different approaches to how you defend and he’s worked out what works for him. The Sharks have worked out, from a defensive system point of view, what works best for all of the players, including Curwin.
‘Now I don’t believe that’s a concern for him or the coaches at the Sharks. This [Vodacom] Super Rugby season, his defence was absolutely fine.’
Photo: Anesh Debiky/AFP
